In the lanes of love

Gurnaaz Kaur

The City Beautiful has cafes, pubs, clubs and restaurants, but which is the perfect place to propose? And having crossed that milestone, where does a couple go and date? Young students from the city share their take.

For a casual outing, there are cafes but when it comes to having some ‘we time’, one has to be selective. “Dating mostly depends on budget. If there is enough money in the pocket, one can think of going to a nice restaurant, but otherwise parks in the city are quite popular for dating. Even the ‘Garden Of Silence’ behind Sukhna Lake; in fact, that whole stretch around Golf Club and Chandigarh Club are safe places,” says Ankit Singla.

Drive together

“For us, drives work best. We mostly go uphill as that’s tension free. Morni Hills and Kasauli top the list. When in Chandigarh, Books and Brew in Sector 16, Backyard Cafe in Panchkula, and Forest Hill Resort in Nayagaon are the preferred locations. Things have changed in the last few years. People now give space to couples, so safety isn’t an issue,” says Adish Jain.

Tushar Bansal too appreciates the city cops. He says they are mostly concerned. “We were three couples outside a restaurant in Panchkula. The location was a secluded one. Police came, took a round, asked us if we were all fine and went away. That one experience made me feel the cops care about our safety, especially since I have heard of incidents where couples are ill-treated. In fact, I feel, it’s safer for girls to be out with guys. There are boys who misbehave when they see girls alone on roads or in parks. On a regular basis, the back-end of Sukhna Lake, Sector 17, Rose Garden and Terrace Garden are the best locations for dating.”

Safe & sound

Qudratjot Kaur also thinks the city is safe for young couples. “Chandigarh is safe and full of such places where couples can date. My personal favourite is CBTL in Elante.”

Adds Richa Sharma, “The city is comparatively safe, but one cannot say that police is always understanding. There are times when they trouble couples for no reason. In my group, we mostly go to restaurants; sometimes we go for drives, Timber Trail is an all-time favourite, then there is Books and Brew in 16; Oven Fresh is another sought-after place.”

PDA issue

Pavneet Singh, a pharmacist, thinks PDA isn’t accepted at most places. “Around 80 per cent of the times people object if they see a couple hugging or holding hands.”

To cuddle, the easiest way, according to most of them, is in the car or a park!

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